IEEEXTREME 19.0: Behind the scenes

A few days ago, I received my official recognition as National Co-Lead for IEEEXtreme 19.0. While it looks great on paper, what truly lies behind it are months of knocking on doors, walking kilometers carrying food, and a lot—really a lot—of coffee.

For those who don’t know, IEEEXtreme is a global programming competition where students from all over the world lock themselves in for 24 hours straight to solve algorithmic problems. It’s a coding marathon, and organizing it is another marathon just as intense.

The Role: National Co-Lead

Being a National Co-Lead alongside Liliana Bustamante, Carlos Guerrero, and Cristian Rojas was a different experience from anything I had done before. It wasn’t just about seeking sponsorships; it was about being the support system for IEEE Student Branches across Mexico.

Our job was to follow up, resolve doubts, and support the host sites in their organization to ensure the event was flawless nationwide. But since I am also the chairman of the IEEE UNAM Student Branch, I got to experience the event from both sides: coordinating the national effort and working hard at the local host site.

Managing the Host Site: UNAM’s CIA

To have a host site of this size, we needed a top-tier location. We spent weeks coordinating with the Faculty of Engineering until we managed to get the Center for Advanced Engineering (CIA).

It’s not easy to convince authorities that hosting over 100 students all night is a good idea, but in the end, trust is earned through results, and the CIA became our official bunker.

Extreme Logistics: The Taco Saga

If I’ve learned anything in IEEE, it’s that a hungry team doesn’t perform the same. My good friend Alejandro Cortés (CS Vice-Chair) and I took charge of the food logistics, which turned out to be a considerable physical challenge.

Imagine the scene: two engineers carrying huge baskets of “tacos de canasta” on the Metro, from División del Norte to Ciudad Universitaria. People looked at us with curiosity on the train, but we were only thinking about arriving before the contestants ran out of energy. It was a significant effort, but seeing 103 people eating calmly made every subway step worth it.

A Collective Effort: IEEE Mexico Section in Action

This event wasn’t just a local effort; it was a massive collaboration coordinated with the IEEE Mexico Section. We managed to bring together 150 participants at our host site alone, turning the “Edificio X” of the Center for Advanced Engineering (CIA) into the true central technological HUB of the country for those 24 hours. Nationally, the impact was even greater, connecting various student branches under a single goal.

We welcomed colleagues from:

• Universidad Autónoma de Chapingo (who participated for the first time in their history!).
• ESIME Culhuacán IPN.
• UPIITA IPN.

We also had the full backing of GitHub through Itiel Sánchez (GitHub Campus Expert). As an official sponsor, GitHub didn’t just provide the competition prizes but also supported all the recreational activities that kept our energy levels high during the early morning hours.

The Longest Night: Coffee and "Payaso del Rodeo"

The cold at CU is intense. To keep everyone awake, coffee was our best ally. While I tried to rest in intervals, Ale Cortés showed admirable stamina by staying awake for the entire 24 hours to ensure nothing failed.

At 7:00 AM, I had to manage some logistics and building security matters to keep everything flowing correctly. And to break the tension and the morning chill, we organized everything: karaoke, scavenger hunts for stickers, and of course, we danced the "Payaso del Rodeo" at 4 AM to stretch our legs.

Here, Michelle Barrios (our marketing lead and treasurer) did a phenomenal job keeping the event alive on social media and connecting with the whole community. Her work was fundamental to the reach we achieved.

The Team Behind the Success

This recognition belongs to many people who put in the work and acted as a team:

• National Leaders: Liliana Bustamante, Carlos Guerrero, and Cristian Rojas.
• Mexico Section: Christian Rojas (Section Lead) and M.C.I. Jorge Alberto Solano Gálvez for their constant support.
• Ambassadors: David Elías (UNAM), Gerardo Jaciel Ibarra (Chapingo) and Uriel (UPIITA).
• UNAM Staff: Alejandro Cortés Mora and Michelle Barrios.

In the end, being a National Co-Lead taught me that leadership isn’t about being on a pedestal; it’s about being willing to work on whatever is needed, knocking on the necessary doors, and serving the community so that others have the chance to shine.

See you at IEEEXtreme 20.0! 🚀

"If we could handle the CU logistics and the taco transport, we are ready for any engineering challenge."